Electrical connectors in which a first connector comprising an array of first electrical contacts is joined to a corresponding second connector comprising an array of second electrical contacts are well known in the electronics industry for providing reliable interfacing between components. One type of connector, known as a backplane connector, has been used extensively in computers for connecting printed circuit boards or daughterboards to a computer backplane or motherboard. It is often necessary to separate these connectors to remove a particular daughterboard from a motherboard in order to replace a board or to perform repairs or to conduct troubleshooting. Given this need, it is often desirable to short circuit certain leads on a motherboard when a daughterboard is removed in order for the system to continue operation despite the absence of that particular daughterboard.
In the past, the typical approach for shorting contact points on a motherboard involved a crude manual approach in which wires having attachable ends were used to make connections between discrete points on the motherboard to form the desired short circuit. This approach is time consuming and often results in creating a short circuit between incorrect contact points due to technician error. Thus, it is desirable to provide a self-operative shunting contact on a connector to create specific electrical paths when a daughterboard is removed from a motherboard. The benefit of such self-shunting contacts has been recognized in other areas of electrical connectors such as coaxial connectors as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,921.